A third new PV trailer has been revealed for The Diary of Ochibi-san TV anime series. The 24-episode anime short series premiered on October 8, 2023.
The trailer showcases the titular Ochibi-san and his many friends and the anime’s main theme song “Romantic” by Naotarou Moriyama.
Daisuke Onizuka (Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time CGI director) and Shogo Tsurii (Voyager visual director, Darling in the Franxx CG director) are co-directing the shorts. Naoki Yoshibe, Masaki Ishikawa, Satoshi Yamauchi, and You Kyuuda are serving as the CG animation directors, with Satoru Kousaki (Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-) as the music composer. Studio Khara is handling the animation production and supervising the series and its scripts.
Other staff members include Seina Yaguchi as art director, Nozomi Hiratsuka as color key artist, Junko Sakai as compositing director of photography, and Haru Yamada (Skip and Loafer) as sound director.
Meanwhile, the main voice cast includes:
- • Manami Hanawa as Ochibi-san
- • Nobuhiko Okamoto as Ozeni
- • Shiori Izawa as Pankui
- • Chafurin as Ojii
- • Misaki Kuno as Shiroppoi
- • Hiroki Gotou as Jack
- • Yui Ogura as Akame-chan
- • Kousuke Echigoya as Hebi-kun
The Diary of Ochibi-san is based on Moyoco Anno’s slice of life manga of the same name, which ran in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper from April 2007 to March 2014. It later moved to Asahi Shimbun’s Aera magazine, running from April 28, 2014 until its conclusion on December 16, 2019. Ten total tankoubon volumes were printed and released. Crunchyroll previously published the series online.
The manga also inspired a stop-motion ONA in 2015 that was part of Hideaki Anno‘s Japan Animator Expo project with Khara and Dwango.
A picture book based on the manga was published by Kodansha on May 28, 2014. It was illustrated by Anno and written by Motoko Matsuda.
Azuki is currently releasing The Diary of Ochibi-san in English digitally and describes the story as:
“Even if I can make you smile, I can’t erase the tears you’ve cried.” In Mametsubu-cho, a little town somewhere in Japan’s ancient capital of Kamakura, the cheerful Ochibi lives a free and easy life. Together with his friends — the dog Nazeni, the mischievous cat Jack, and the ever-hungry pooch Pankui — he welcomes the new discoveries and acquaintances that come with the changing seasons.
The spring brings flowers and greenery; the summer, chances to swim in the cool sea. With autumn come the fiery red maples, and winter brings hot and hearty meals.
These events and shifts of season are drawn with a soft and tender touch, bringing out the warmth in the details of everyday life.
